Year: 2017

Shopping for a trail runner isn’t easy. Every runner has their own preferences, and for the most part, all the important gear — shoes, pack, etc. — ends up being rather expensive. Socks are probably the main exception …

But who wants socks as a gift?

This year there are three running related items on my Christmas list, all of which are inexpensive and practical, and will be put to use right away.

Here are the three gifts, all under $30, that I’m asking for this year:

1. Clean Nutrition

Nutrition, and how your stomach and body react to certain fuel, may very well be the most personal aspect of running. For that reason, I’m always trying to find the most natural, easy-to-go-down foods, that still provide the benefits of a sports product. This year I discovered two new (to me) products that meet at the intersection of whole food and optimized for running.

Amrita Health Bars

I was just introduced to these a few weeks ago, but have already relied on them during my past few long runs to great success. They’re made with real fruit, taste great, and go down easily. As an added bonus, both my wife and daughter love them too.

Muir Energy Gels

You may recall me reviewing a few Muir Energy gels this summer, and I’m happy to report, they’ve become my new go-to gel. With only a handful of ingredients (all whole-food, plant-based) in each gel, they’re easy on the stomach and taste buds.

2. REI Tech Shirt

Tired of all your tech shirts being cheap race shirts? I was too, but it just didn’t seem worth it for me to drop $60 on a shirt I didn’t really need.

Then I found the inexpensive REI Co-Op tech shirt, and when a shirt works, it works. The simple, clean designs were just what I was looking for, and I’ve worn one during pretty much every race for the past year with no issues. This year, I asked for two more.

Note, when pulling links for this, I saw some negative reviews that surprised me. Take that for what it’s worth.

3. Packable Water Filter

News flash: runners need water. Depending on where you’re running, fresh water sources may be limited.

Like many of you, I try to limit what I carry on long runs, which means I’m often having to decide between carrying an extra bottle, dealing with the hassle of iodine, or risking it by drinking unfiltered directly from a stream or spring.

But a few months ago, just when I was about fill up a bottle directly from the stream, a friend pulled out this nifty little purifier that hooked right on to a collapsible bottle. He filled up his bottle, then mine, then packed away a full one to filter later. Easy, fast, lightweight, and practical for runners.

The filter was a Sawyer Mini, and happens to be rather inexpensive as well. It’s perfect for long run days in the mountains (hear that Santa?)

… We decide we want to play an instrument, and we expect to pick it up overnight.

… We want to run farther or faster, and look for measurable results after just one or two workouts.

But, as much as we don’t want to admit it, you and I both know that’s not how life works.

Saturday evening, just before bed, my daughter took her first steps (woot!). It was a big deal. We clapped and celebrated the giant, obvious progress…

But the process to get to this point started months ago.

First, she had to learn how to stand up, then it was stumbling her way down the hallway while holding both of my hands. After a while, she had the courage to drop a hand and hold on to our pants.

Then just a single hand, and eventually…

Eventually she took four steps on her own before collapsing into her mother’s arms.

** Cue the fireworks. **

The journey was long — a few months is a pretty big percentage of an 11-month-old’s life — and the progress very slow. Even Saturday’s big win of taking her first solo steps was nothing more than her walking a few feet before needing assistance.

She’s not running marathons… or even walking down the hall.

And you know what? When we tried to get her to walk again yesterday, she wanted nothing to do with it. Nothing. Nope. She’d sit down and asked to be picked up.

But those tiny, uncoordinated baby steps on Saturday were a massively important part of the process.

As you train for whatever running goal has you motivated at the moment, be patient. Embrace the baby steps not as something holding you back, but as the path forward.

The 2.018 Challenge announced last week was designed with this small step approach in mind. 2.018 miles per day isn’t going to get you very far, but the baby step of maintaining consistency will.

A single speed workout — no matter how hard you push — isn’t going to instantly make you faster, but after focusing on your speed for weeks, you will see results.

Will next week’s long run have a drastic impact on your next race? I’m going to say no. But it’s an important baby step in your training.

Next time you’re discouraged by a lack of obvious progress, or the time it’s taking to see the results you desire, think not about exactly where you want to be, but about the bigger picture instead.

Look at how far you’ve come, and the tiny — sometimes uncoordinated and mostly unimpressive — bits of progress you’re making with each run.

That’s basically what happens every time someone sets a new year’s resolution, only to let weeks go by with no action.

“I’ll get back in shape in the new year.”

“I’ll start training for my dream race once things settle down after Christmas.”

“I’ll wait until I’m less busy to get back into a regular running habit.”

By the time January comes around, you’ve wasted all this time.

What if instead, you started right now? (Actually, on Friday, but more on that later.)

What if you could get a jump-start on everyone else and start building a solid training foundation throughout the remainder of this year?

Well, you’d be the one taking off early.

Introducing the 2.018 Challenge

Last week I proposed a Thanksgiving to New Years challenge to Next Level Runner members and asked them for advice on what type of challenge they would find the most helpful. Several ideas were passed around — from elevation to speed and everything in between — but what stood out most was a need to rebuild or maintain consistency throughout the holidays.

To use the holidays to your advantage. Not your detriment.

I freaking love the holidays. I love seeing friends and family, drinking (lots of) red wine, and sitting beside the tree. But — like many of you — holidays are tough on my training. I get lazy, or busy, and end up skipping more runs than I actually get in.

So here’s the plan:

This year, let’s do something different. Let’s complete a manageable run streak from the day after Thanksgiving to New Year’s Eve, getting a jump-start on our 2018 goals and establishing the routines and habits that will set us up for success.

And just because it’s fun, let’s make the daily mileage minimum 2.018 (or since most GPS watches don’t go to the third decimal, 2.02 miles) miles per day.

38 days of at least 2.018 miles per day.

Of course you can always run farther, but by simply getting out for 15 or 20 minutes each day, you’ll be laying a foundation, establishing habits, and getting a head start on your 2018 goals when most people are sitting around feeling stuck.

Ever feel like you get hit daily by a tsunami of product and gadget promotions?

Me too. All. The. Time.

Product launches from running brands and ambassadors fill my social media feeds, and my inbox receives daily requests to review or promote some new gadget or piece of gear. When I go into a running store, I’m overwhelmed by all the options.

Do I really need a foam roller I can freeze? Or a $200 jacket? Or a head-to-toe compression suit?

They promise to help me run faster and prevent injuries, so… maybe?

Just this week I got a message from a runner friend who heard I use a certain product that helps with running form. He asked,

“One runner to the next, is it worth plopping down the $100 on one?”

My answer, of course, was…

“Depends,” and I launched into a long response on his specific needs and what I use it for.

When it comes to running gear, nearly everything falls into that “depends” category. It might be helpful, but it might not.

There are, however, a few things where the answer is almost always a big fat “yes.”

Products Worthy of Your Hard-Earned Cash

1. Trail Shoes ($100-180)

Running shoes are the one thing that runners really need (I know, I know… some people will argue with that), and it’s worth spending money on the perfect pair. Actually, it’s worth spending money on a few perfect pairs if you’re confident in their ability to grip the trail and give you the ride you’re looking for.

I run in Altra Lone Peaks on trail (Altra Ones on road) because they feel great on my feet. Only you can determine which shoe works best for your needs, but make sure you can trust it, mile after mile.

2. GPS Watch ($100-400)

A GPS watch can save a lot of up-front planning time, keep you from getting lost (when you upload and follow a route), and provide priceless information mid-run. If you go home and use that data, it can help you understand your training and make adjustments accordingly.

The Problem With Running Gear

Good gear — like the items listed above — are designed to take your running experience and make it better. Maybe more comfortable, data driven, safer, or fun. These tools really can improve your training.

But here’s the hard truth: they will only take you so far.

I’m a gear guy. Fancy new gear gets me excited, and I can ride that excitement for a few runs. But I have a ton of running stuff, and I still go through my fair share of nasty slumps.

As runners, we too often hide behind the “if only I had this” excuse.

I’m here to tell you, while the things listed above can be a great investment, new gear will never solve your running excuses.

3 Better Things to Invest In

So what should you invest in instead?

1. Time

Training takes a lot of time. It takes time that you could be using to sleep or hang with your family. Trail running along cool routes often means traveling to a distant trailhead on the weekend.

The best thing you can do for your training is to run more, and running more means committing to more time on the trail.

2. A Plan

Running for the love of it with no plan works for some people, but for many it does not. A good training plan will keep you progressing and working towards a specific goal.

It should also provide the structure and motivation you need to get after it.

3. Adventure

After all, adventure is what this trail running thing is all about, isn’t it?

Earlier this week a coaching client who’s been desperately fighting a training slump gave me a ring. He was thrilled to share that a recent trip to the Grand Canyon (not to run but to hike) has completely reinvigorated his training. The adventure sparked new dreams and goals, and you could actually see the motivational boost in his logged runs.

Sure, I absolutely love the adventure, the daily grind, and nearly everything else. But there are a few things I absolutely hate.

And after coming clean to the world (shew, that felt good!), I asked you:

“What’s the one thing you hate about running?”

Some people said “nothing,” and good for those of you who feel that way…

But just about everyone who responded was willing to admit that there are a few things they know they should do in their training, but hate it when it comes up. I heard from people on Facebook and Twitter, via email, and in the comments section. So much so that we even got a hashtag going, #HateToGreat.

What did you share? Two topics made up the overwhelming majority of what you can’t stand when it comes to training.

Speed/track workouts

Strength training

So today, I’m going to lay out a six-week program to conquer each. And I’ll — hopefully — do it in a way that you won’t hate.

Why is it so important to address these challenge areas?

Turning the Thing You Hate into Something Great

As it turns out, we love to hate two of the most beneficial things we can do as runners.

Speed work is essential for most runners to get faster and stronger. Even if you’re training for an ultramarathon or other uber-long run, the right kind of speed training will improve both power and running economy.

And strength training is just as — if not even more so — important. This is your single greatest tool as a runner to keeprunning injury free — and improve in speed and endurance on top of that.

So why do we so passionately hate two important elements of becoming a stronger runner?

Because they’re hard.

Yup. That’s pretty much all there is too it. They’re uncomfortable, difficult, and for most of us, they’re not what we love about running.

Most training plans or coaches would tell you to just do it anyway. That’s fine, but if you continue to hate it, chances are you aren’t going to actually complete the task (no matter how mean that couch may be).

Instead, I’m going to try to address the root of the problem. Let’s make those things we hate into something fun, not intimidating, and approachable.

If we’re successful, you could turn that thing you hate into a core element of your training, and maybe even into something great.

A few weeks ago, while out mowing the lawn, I got to thinking about the part of running I hate the most — half and full mile repeats. I can’t tell you the number of times I’ve set speed goals for myself and written specific workouts into a plan, only to skip right over them when the day came.

Sure, I may find a boost of motivation now and then to log several laps around a track, but that drive fades in about as much time as it takes Bolt to run 100 meters.

Somewhere around halfway through the back yard, it occurred to me that if I could just focus on this one area of my training — the area of training I HATE — on a regular basis in just a minor way, I’d probably be a much better runner for it.

And maybe, just maybe, I’d learn to not hate it anymore. Maybe I could reframe the thing I hate most about running and turn it into a strength.

And that, you beautiful Pack members, is exactly what we’re going to do over the coming weeks.

What Do You Hate Most About Running?

I know there’s something, and there’s no shame in admitting it.

Go ahead, leave a comment on this post or share it with me on social (Facebook, Twitter).

What do you hate most about running?

Next week, after reading through your responses, I’ll pick the three most popular answers and put together a 6-week training program for each.

The programs will be simple, fun, and ease into whatever dreaded training task it may be.

All with the goal of reframing the thing you hate, and making it something great.

Back in 2015, during the Black Mountain Monster 24 hour race, I ran the Thomas Jefferson 100K in Virginia. It was a relatively straightforward course, consisting of seven, nine-mile singletrack loops.

Piece of cake, right?

Everything went as planned for the first three loops. Runners enjoyed a deceptively cool light rain, and I gracefully moved down the trail as the sun rose over the Blue Ridge Mountains.

About fifteen minutes in to loop four, I pull off the side of the trail to quickly relieve myself for the first time.

Ahhh…

Wait…

Blood?! What the…

I panic. I’d heard horror stories of ultrarunners peeing blood, and know that it can be an early sign of kidney issues. Immediately, I think my day is over.

Not knowing what to do, I start to walk. I walk forward, then turn around and walk backwards toward the Start. Then I turn around and walk forward again. AHHH!

I’m literally walking in circles instead of towards the finish of a loop.

Finally, after about thirty minutes of no real progress, I decide I should jog out the rest of the loop and then call it quits.

I’m devastated.

It would be my first DNF, and a tough mental blow just a few weeks out from the Monster. After miles of sulking to the point of tears, I approach the medic at the end of the loop.

“I’m peeing blood and think I should drop,” I say.

“Yikes,” he responds, and goes on to ask me a series of questions while poking at my kidneys. “Well, that can’t be comfortable, but I think you’re fine. Drink a lot of water and get back out there.”

“What?!” I exclaim. “You’re not pulling me form the race?!”

“Nah, you’re just dehydrated and maybe have a UTI.”

“Seriously?”

“Seriously.”

“But I thought…”

“You’re fine.”

“Oh. Well then.” I walk off with a flood of emotions.

On one hand I’m thrilled I can keep running. On the other hand I had just spent the last 90 minutes convinced my day was over aannnnd… I was kind of looking forward to that shower and burrito.

Crap. No burrito.

I was cleared by the medic with no excuse to drop. I had to keep running. So I did.

Now I have no idea if that was good medical protocol. Since then I’ve read varying advice on what to do if you start peeing blood, from start hydrating to head straight to the ER. But that isn’t the point of this story.

The point of this story is that running an ultramarathon never goes as planned.

Never.

I was well trained, had all the right gear, and felt great for the first half of the race. Then the unexpected happened and everything flipped upside down.

It happens.

Earlier this week I read that Michael Wardian, one of the most well-raced elites out there, had to stop FOURTEEN times for diarrhea issues during Saturday’s Leadville 100. Something I’m sure he wasn’t expecting.

(BTW, Mike went on to finish 10th, and just six hours later, raced the Pikes Peak Marathon with 7,800 feet of vert. Beast.)

During that same race, eventual winner Ian Sharman got lost.

And just a few days ago, while debriefing a recent 100 miler with a coaching client, he told me it was the downhills that caused the toughest mental challenge.

Listen to the episode here:

Support for Today’s Episode

This episode of Trail Talk was brought to you by Discover Your Ultramarathon, the eBook system with training plans, audio interviews, and a 129-page guide to get you through your first 50K or 50 mile ultra.

Most runners, at some point or another, come face to face with the seemingly monstrous task of rebuilding their base after a break.

Whether that break was planned, unintended, or forced by a nagging injury, the uphill struggle to regain fitness can feel both daunting and discouraging.

I’ve kept it no secret that for the past several months I’ve personally been struggling with my running routine. And while the past few weeks have been better, I’m still only averaging about 15-20 miles per week — significantly lower than what I’m used to.

That ends this week. And here’s how I’m going to do it.

Rebuilding Running Fitness Starts With a Plan

As with most things in running, rebuilding your fitness after a break should start with building a plan. Without some sort of roadmap for how to move forward, staying on track becomes it’s own unnecessary obstacle.

Throughout this post I’ll share my strategy for creating a six week plan to get back on track, and each week moving froward I’ll keep you updated with how things are going and the next week’s objective.

First, we start with a goal.

Step 1. Set a Goal

At the “comeback” phase for any runner, it’s best to start with two goals: a goal for my base-building period (1), and a long-term running goal to keep me motivated and on schedule (2). Here are mine:

I’ll use the short-term goal to position myself for successful long-term training.

Step 2. Set a Base-Building Timeline

A timeline gives a start and end date to your base-building period, which helps to focus and structure your plan. It’s also important mentally, because (I’ll just come out and say it…) coming back after a break is hard. It’s discouraging not to hit splits or distances with the same ease as before, and can often feel too big a task to keep going. A timeline helps keep you motivated, knowing that you’ll be back to your old self soon.

I’ve chosen six weeks for my base-building period because that is generally the amount of time I believe runners need to both regain fitness and resolidify a routine. It also happens to work pretty well with my long-term goals, allowing about five weeks for more focused, dedicated training before the Pitchell attempt.

Depending on how long you’ve been out, you may need more time — eight, ten, twelve weeks — or if you haven’t lost that much time, maybe four weeks will do the trick. What’s important is to be honest with yourself about where you are and how far you need to go.

Step 3. Write a Plan

Once I settled on six weeks, I started putting together a plan. For a base-building training block, keep in mind that you:

May not need a strict training plan detailing each run. That could be useful if you’re someone who needs structure, or it could get in the way. I fall somewhere in the middle and have a rough plan for certain key workouts, but am leaving some days open to what feels right.

Don’t have to go all-in on day one. Build gradually over the course of the training block.

Don’t want to start too hard or you’ll get discouraged and struggle to keep up.

Should allow for some flexibility. Distance, speed, endurance, they may all take longer to regain than you envisioned. Allow for some leeway when making your plan.

With those rules in mind, I assigned a focus to each week:

Week 1: Consistency — Distance/time take a back seat to getting out and running 5-6 times this week.

Week 2: Elevation — Each run will focus on vertical gain over distance.

Week 3: Distance — It’s not until this week that I really focus on rebuilding mileage.

Week 4: Distance — Continuing to build off last week’s progress.

Week 5: Speed — Reintroducing speed-focused workouts.

Week 6: Well Rounded — Put it all together with a well-rounded training week to transition into focused training.

My 6-Week Base-Building Plan

This may or may not look impressive, but I’ve got nothing to hide. Below I share my actual training plan for the next six weeks.

Note: Info in black are actuals, while numbers in blue are my planned runs. I’ve only schedule runs through the first three weeks so I can check in and adjust as needed. At the end of each week I plan to write another week’s plan, so I’m always two weeks ahead.

Week 1: Consistency

This week my only objective is consistency, or getting back into the habit of running 5-6 times per week. I set no expectations of distance, time, routes, or elevation gain. If I go for a run, it counts.

As you can see, some of these runs are nothing to brag about, but they’re logged nonetheless.

And with that, I give you my plan:

It’s Time to Rebuild… Let’s do This

Over the next six weeks I’ll update this tracking chart in real time — both so you can see how I’m structuring my comeback and to help hold myself accountable. Each week I’ll check back in to discuss that week’s focus, and share what I’ve learned.

In the same boat as me, ready to finally start training again?

Join me. I’d love the company.

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